Bonded carpet machine

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and method to produce a loop pile patterned effect bonded carpet. An endless pattern chain is employed which has interchangeable blades of various heights and notch configuration to produce high and/or low loops between sets of lower blades which cooperate therewith to form loops.

United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,905,857 Short Sept. 16, 1975 15 1 BONDED CARPET MACHINE 3.330.708 7/1967 Paersc 156/435 3,387,577 6/1968 Spanel 161/66 [75] Inventor: 3,424,632 1/1969 Adler 156/435 73 Assignee: Deering Min Research 3,542,625 11/1970 Vem1er 156/435 Corporation, Spartanburg, SC. Primary Examiner-Marion E. McCamish [22] Flled' 1973 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Earle R. Marden; H. 1211 Appl. No.: 339,210 William Petty [52] US. Cl. 156/435; 156/72; 428/92 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl. D04H 11/08 158 Field of Search 161/63, 65 66, 62 67- Appmtus and method to Produce 156/622 2 72 terned effect bonded carpet. An endless pattern chain is employed which has interchangeable blades of vari- [56] References Cited ous heights and notch configuration to produce high and/or low loops between sets of lower blades which UNITED STATES PATENTS cooperate therewith to form loops. 2,583,337 l/l952 Laing 156/435 3,142,611 7/1964 Mills 156/435 9 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTEU 1 SW5 3. 905,857

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BONDED CARPET MACHINE An object of this invention is. to produce a bonded pile carpet which has a patterned surface effect therein which is simpler and less expensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent as the specification proceeds to describe the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic elevation view of the new and improved carpet machine;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the yarn guide and shogging bars;

FIGS. 3, 4 and 7 are various carpet designs capable of being produced'on the herein disclosed carpet machine; 7

FIG. 5 is a front view of one of the upper pattern bars or slats;

FIG. 6 is a partial view of the yarn as it enters the new and improved carpet machine;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an unnotched upper pattern bar or slat;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the slat connecting links; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a plurality of slats connected together using the links shown in FIG. 9.

Looking now to the drawings and especially FIG. 1, the invention will be explained. The bonded loop pile carpet machine, generally designated 10, consists basi cally of yarn guide bars 12 and 14, upper pattern chain 16, lower chain 18, a heater 20, a cooler 22 and a driven take-up roll arrangement 24.

The upper pattern chain and drive mechanism is mounted on a cage 26 which is pivotally mounted at 28. As shown schematically in FIG. 1 and as will be explained hereinafter, the design of the upper pattern slats 30 and the position of the cage 26 relative to the lower chain 18 will determine the amount of penetration of the yarn X and Y between the lower slats 32 of the lower chain 18.

As described briefly above the yarn X and Y being delivered to the carpet machine 10 is delivered through guide bars 12 and 14 from creels (not shown) and is metered into the carpet machine by the cooperation of the upper and lower slats 30 and 32 without the necessity of driven delivery rolls. The guide bars 12 and 14 are provided with apertures 34 through which the individual yarn ends are threaded to maintain each yarn in spaced relationship from one another.

In some instances it may be desired to provide a novel design and/or colored pattern effect in the carpet being produced. To accomplish this end the guide bars 12 and 14 may be provided with slats 36 through which projects a bolt member 38 attached to the support member 40 to allow horizontal sliding movement of the guide bars 12 and 14. Mounted at one or both ends of the guide bars 12 and 14 is an inwardly directed supported member 41 to which is attached a lever arm 42. At the other ends of the lever arm 42 is another support member 44 which is attached to the rocker arm 46 pivotally mounted at 48. Each rocker arm 46 has a cam follower 50 connected thereto which engages the cam groove 52 of the rotably driven cams 54. Obviously the design of the cam grooves 52 will determine the direction and amount of horizontal sliding movement of the guide bars 12 and 14. To provide a colored design effect the yarns can be of different colors.

As an example of the possible designs that can be made in the carpet, FIGS. 3 and 4 show several possibilities. In FIG. 3 the cam grooves 52 were designed to provide a dwell movement as well as movement of the guide bars 12 and 14 in the same direction at the same time. It can readily be seen that the dwell portion of the cam groove 52 provides straight rows of yarn 55 and the shifting movement of the: guide bars provides the slanted yarn 56 since the shifting movement of the guide bars causes the yarn 56 to shift sideways a predetermined amount. In FIG. 4 the cam grooves 52 were provided with a dwell surface as well as a camsurface which will cause the guide bars 12 and 14 to shift in opposite directions to provide the straight rows of yarn 58 and the crossed-over yarn 59 so that the upper yarn X threaded in the lower guided bar 14 will cross over the yarn Y in the upper guide bar 12.

As discussed briefly before, the yarns X and Y from the creels (not shown) are metered by the cooperation of the upper and lower slats 30 and 32. It is desired that the angle of rotation of the slats 30 and 32 into contact with the yarn be as acute as possible so that the yarn will be bent over the lower slat 32 without the yarn sliding on the slat 32 to cause excessive friction and increased tension. The angle of cooperation of the slats 30 and 32 is such that the upper and lower slats barely miss one another as they rotate into loop forming position. To accomplish this cooperation, two pairs 61 of a plurality of small spaced guide rollers are mounted in each of the support plates 63 and 65 (see FIG. 1 The upper support plate 63 is adjustable vertically with respect to the lower support plate to vary the depth of pile loop between the lower slats 32. Each of the pairs of spaced rollers consists of a plurality of small rollers 60 spaced from one another on an idler shaft 62 to allow the gear teeth 64 on the chains 16 and 18 to pass thcrebetween. The rollers 60 are basically designed to guide the slats 30 and 32 into as close a mesh as possible to provide a sharp deformation of the yarn during loop forming to prevent the above-mentioned disadvantages of increased friction and tension on the yarn.

To further provide various depths of pile loops the upper slat 30 is provided with notches 67 of various depth to control the amount of yarn placed between the lower blades 32. It is obvious that the deeper the notch 67 the less amount of yarn will be placed between the blades 32, thereby providing a loop of minimum height. The depth of the notches 67 can be selected at random to provide the desired effect in the finished fabric.

As an example of the effect that can be accomplished with notching of the slats 30, FIG. 7 shows one yarn which has been acted upon by a plurality of upper slats with notches therein. Assuming that the backing sheet is proceeding left to right the first three slats 30 were provided with no notches or notches with minimum depth to provide high loops 69. The next two slats were provided with notches of greater depth to provide loops 66 of medium height. Then the next three or four slats 30 were provided with notches of maximum depth so that no yarn was pushed between the lower slats 32 to provide the float area 68. This float area 68 can be for decorative effect or can be used as the area between carpet tiles when the carpet is cut in the center of the float area, thereby forming selvages for the individual tiles cut. Then the next three slats were provided with notches of medium depth to form loops 70 and the next slats were provided with notches of none or little depth to form the high loops 72. v

To insure erect slat position and to allow tensioning without deformation of the slat hinge the unique slat construction shown in FIGS. 8-10 is used. Each slat 30 or 32 has a plurality of hinges 74 spaced from one another to provide space for the gear tooth 64. The adjacent hinges 74 in each slat are bent outwardly from the centerline of the hinge in a direction opposite to each other. The slat hinges will be connected together by a combination of gear teeth 64, connecting links 75 and connecting rods 76. In the preferred embodiment there will be a gear tooth for every other slat and will be lo cated in the spaces between the hinges. The slats 30, 32, gear teeth 64, and connecting links 74 are interconnected by connecting rods 76. Each connecting rod 76 will pass through one hinge 74 of one slat, one of the openings 77 of the connecting link 75, the comparable opening 78 of the gear tooth 64, the comparable opening 78 of a second link 75, the hinge 74 of the next adjacent slat, through the same openings in another connecting link 74, gear tooth 64, another connecting link 74, through another hinge on the slat of the first named hinge and so on. From FIG. 9 it can be seen that there will be one gear tooth for every other slat as represented in dotted lines. Also, from FIG. 8, since every other hinge 74 in each slat is interconnected to the same connecting rod 76 while the intermediate hinges of the same slat bent out in the other direction will be connected to another connecting rod 76, it can be seen that the torsional forces are balanced, thereby maintaining the lower portion 80 of the slats in a vertical position.

For reasons hereinafter explained it is preferred that the lower slats be serrated on both sides, as shown. This, of course, can be accomplished by rippling the slat, as shown, or by other suitable methods such as in casting, etc. This will provide a surface which will tend to keep the yarn loop down between adjacent lower slats until the point of release from the pattern chains.

OPERATION Before an operation of the carpet machine is started certain selections and adjustments must be made. First, if it is desired to have a surface effect such as that shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the desired earns 54 must be selected. Then the position of the cage 26 and the roller support plate 63 must be established for the desired penetration of the yarn into the lower slats 32. Along with this selection the desired upper slats 30 must be selected to provide further control of the pattern in the finished loop pile bonded carpet. Once these variables are set and the machine is threaded up the machine is ready for a production run.

A multiplicity of yarn ends are pulled from a creel (not shown) through the guide plates 12 into the carpet machine by the slats 30 and 32. As shown in FIG. 6 the lower slat 32 is rotated into yarn contacting position by the roll 60 and folds the yarn over the next adjacent upper slat 30. As the slat 32 folds the yarn over another upper slat is rotating into position to fold the yarn over the previously mentioned lower slat 32. This action occurs continuously and the yarn placed between the lower slats 32 depends on the variables set forth above. As described above the lower slats 32 are serrated on both sides to maintain the formed loops therebetween in the desired folded configuration until they are attached to the backing material 82.

The upper pattern chain 16 and the lower pattern chain 18 are driven by sprockets 84 and 86, respectively, which are geared together so that the co-action of the upper slats 30 and lower slats 32 will be synchronized. After the pile loops have been formed the lower pattern chain 18 guided by rollers 88 moves into position where they are contacted by the adhesive coated backing material 82. The backing material 82 is supplied from a roll (not shown) and is coated with a heat hardenable material, such as polyvinyl chloride 89, by a suitable means such as a doctor blade 90. After the backing material 82 has been pressed into contact with the yarn loops by the pressure roll 92 it is guided under the heater 20 to set the adhesive to bind the loops to the backing material.

After the adhesive 98 on the backing material has been set by the heater 20 the carpet 94 is guided to the cooler 22 by the sprocket 96 and roll 99. Preferably the angle of exit A of the carpet to the cooler 22 is greater than or equal to the angle of exit B of the lower slats 32 so that the loops of the carpet will rotate out of contact with the slats 32 as the slats 32 are spread open as they rotate around the sprocket 96 on their return trip to the front of the machine. From the cooler 22 the completed carpet is guided by roll 100 to the take-up roll 24.

Although I have described in detail the preferred embodiment of my invention I contemplate that many changes may be made without departing from the Scope or spirit of my invention, and I desire to be limited only by the claims.

That which is claimed is:

l. A machine to produce a bonded pile loop carpet comprising: an endless upper pattern chain, an endless lower pattern chain, each of said chains having slats thereon, means mounting said upper chain in operative relationship with said lower chain, means to guide yarn between said chains, means to guide said chains into meshing relationship to push yarn down between adjacent slats of said lower chain to form a loop therebetween, means to alter the height of loops formed between said lower slats, means to apply a backing to said loops to form a carpet and means to take up the formed carpet, said slats of said lower endless chain being serrated on both sides to retain yarn loops therebetween until released from the machine.

2. A machine to produce a bonded pile loop carpet comprising: an endless upper pattern chain, an endless lower pattern chain, each of said chains having slats thereon, means mounting said upper chain in operative relationship with said lower chain, means to guide yarn between said chains, means to guide said chains into meshing relationship to push yarn down between adjacent slats of said lower chain to form a loop therebetween, means to alter the height of loops formed between said lower slats, means to apply a backing to said loops to form a carpet and means to take up the formed carpet, said slats in said upper and lower chains having a plurality of hinges with adjacent hinges on each slat having a space therebetween, said adjacent hinges in each slat being bent outwardly from the centerline of said slat in a direction opposite to each other.

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein said slats are interconnected by gear links and connecting links, said 6. The structure of claim 5 wherein at least one of said slats has notches cut in the bottom thereof.

7. The structure of claim 5 wherein said means to interconnect said slats includes gear links and connecting links supported in said spaces between adjacent hinges.

8. The structure of claim 7 wherein at least one of said slats has notches cut in the bottom thereof.

9. The structure of claim 8 wherein a gear link is pro vided for every other slat in said chains. 

1. A MACHINE TO PRODUCE A BONDED PILE LOOP CARPET COMPRISING: AN ENDLESS UPPER PATTERN CHAN, AN ENDLESS LOWER PATTERN CHAIN, EACH OF SAID CHAINS HAVING SLATS THEREON, MEANS MOUNTING SAID UPPER CHAIN IN OPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID LOWER CHAIN, MEANS TO GUIDE YARN BETWEEN SAID CHAINS, MEANS TO GUIDE SAID CHAINS INTO MESHING RELATIONSHIP TO PUSH YARN DOWN BETWEEN ADJACENT SLATS OF SAID LOWER CHAIN TO FORM A LOOP THEREBETWEEN, MEANS TO ALTER THE HEIGHT OF LOOPS FORMED BETWEEN SAID LOWER SLATS, MEANS TO APPLY A BACKING TO SAID LOOPS TO FORM A CARPET AND MEANS TO TAKE UP THE FORMED CARPET, SAID SLATS OF SAID LOWER ENDLESS CHAIN SERRATED ON BOTH SIDES TO RETAIN YARN LOOPS THEREBETWEEN UNTIL RELEASED FROM THE MACHINE.
 2. A machine to produce a bonded pile loop carpet comprising: an endless upper pattern chain, an endless lower pattern chain, each of said chains having slats thereon, means mounting said upper chain in operative relationship with said lower chain, means to guide yarn between said chains, means to guide said chains into meshing relationship to push yarn down between adjacent slats of said lower chain to form a loop therebetween, means to alter the height of loops formed between said lower slats, means to apply a backing to said loops to form a carpet and means to take up the formed carpet, said slats in said upper and lower chains having a plurality of hinges with adjacent hinges on each slat having a space therebetween, said adjacent hinges in each slat being bent outwardly from the centerline of said slat in a direction opposite to each other.
 3. The structure of claim 2 wherein said slats are interconnected by gear links and connecting links, said gear links having a gear projecting therefrom for engagement by a sprocket to drive said chains.
 4. The structure of claim 2 wherein a gear link is provided for every other slat in said chains.
 5. A pattern chain for a carpet machine comprising: a plurality of slats, each of said slats having hinges thereon with adjacent hinges in each slat being spaced from one another, said adjacent slats in said chain being bent outwardly from the centerline of said slat in a direction opposite to each other and means to interconnect adjacent slats.
 6. The structure of claim 5 wherein at least one of said slats has notches cut in the bottom thereof.
 7. The structure of claim 5 wherein said means to interconnect said slats includes gear links and connecting links supported in said spaces between adjacent hinges.
 8. The structure of claim 7 wherein at least one of said slats has notches cut in the bottom thereof.
 9. The structure of claim 8 wherein a gear link is provided for every other slat in said chains. 